What a cool plant

Yes it is. If you plant them in the ground they will really grow. Mine is 10 ft tall.

Yes, look at this awesome clump of pachypodium in my neighborhood...wish they were mine!!!

Great shot. That is what mine looks like.

I knew it, I KNEW it. I almost got into a fight with a salesperson in one of our local nurseries here in Corpus Christi about this plant. I couldn't remember if the Madagascar Palm bloomed or not, and he told me no...flat out no. So, I didn't buy it. To me, one of the big challenges of buying any plant is getting it to bloom.

I'm hoping that the all bloom, and that there are not varieties that don't bloom? If so, then I'll again have to go in search of one. They seem to do well here in the heat and humidity of the Texas Gulf Coast.

Thanks for posting this!

I do not know any pachypodium that does not bloom. I thought their blooms were one of the attributes required to be in the pachypodium genus.

Here is help for identifying Pachypodium and their blooms.

http://www.out-of-africa-plant...

I have to say that my P. lamerei didn't bloom until it was big; so many people may not ever see it bloom.

Some cacti/succulents have to be a certain age before they will bloom. I think I read that the 'Golden Barrel' takes 30-40 years. I'm not sure how true that is though. That's one reason why Mammillarias are so popular (aside from their easiness), they bloom in as little as 2-3 years.

Planto

I have some Golden barrels that have bloomed and are probably only around 10 years old.

Kate,
Okay, that proves that wrong. I don't have the book anymore, but I think I read that in a C&S book I used to have. But I'm not convinced everything is right in books, as two books can contradict each other I've noticed.

Planto

Well, maybe they have bred some of that "late blooming" out of the Barrels since they've become kinda popular. I agree though, the plant taxonomy world REALLY could use some dusting and cleaning. It is REALLY confusing sometimes!!

Blooming today.

Oh my. I've never seen a bloom on one of those, that is stunning!

Most Pachypodiums are trees and need to be 6 or more feet tall and about 10 - 25 years old before their first flower. Some are bushes rather than trees. The bush types like P. lameri ssp. Saundersii bloomed for me in 5 years and has continued to bloom several times a year for the last 10 years. It is about 18 inches tall. My P. bicolor is about the same size and blooms with a wonderful yellow flower once a year. So the bush type or shorter ones make better container plants and can flower in 3 gallon pots.

This excellent nursery has a poster showing all the different Pachypodium species and their flowers
http://www.out-of-africa-plant...

Mine is 6' tall and 10yo.

Plantomaniac08 said:Some cacti/succulents have to be a certain age before they will bloom. I think I read that the 'Golden Barrel' takes 30-40 years. I'm not sure how true that is though. That's one reason why Mammillarias are so popular (aside from their easiness), they bloom in as little as 2-3 years.

Planto

I had read that also, but I put a tiny golden barrel in a 4 inch pot under a pergola in Scottsdale, Arizona. It had gorgeous blooms it's 13th year. They also grow much faster than I ever realized. I'll have to measure mine. It's huge!

Wow! At least you didn't have to wait 30 years!

A month later it is still happily flowering.


The blooms have a nice perfume.

Mine blooms up so high that I've never been able to smell the flowers....